The Siege

Rating:
Summary: Excellect!!!
Review: I thought that after Blade, Wesley couldn't act any better!!! This is his best performance to date!!! Keep it up Wes!!

Rating:
Summary: Not a bad show - But also not a classic
Review: The story line of international terrorism is strong throughout. Washington and Bening team up well together in this. It is a good enough movie to add to your collection, though not an all time great. I was a bit disappointed that there were no special features with the DVD version.

Rating:
Summary: terrible
Review: this movie is just a complete joke,washington is a great actor but besides tha the plot of the movie could of been directed much better by a 10 year old

Rating:
Summary: A cop trys to stop L.A. from going under siege.
Review: An FBI agent and a couple of friends try to stop a group of truely devoted people in thier relgoin. The problem because the U.S. army goes into actionand starts putting soldiers on the streets of L.A.the problem becomes out of hand when the captin o fthe army started killing innoscent people over a bad memory.

Rating:
Summary: Bad attempt for a Hollywood blockbuster!
Review: I would expect nothing less from such a wonderfull cast. However, after watching this long and tedious film, I have learned to never expect anything from this not so wonderfull cast. This movie started very slow, continued through at a slow pace, and concluded at a slow pace. Follow a pattern here? The cinematography is well done and the musical score does help. However I strongly suggest that you stay away from this movie, it is a big BOMB. (no pun intended)

Rating:
Summary: Gets to your fears and keeps you engaged.
Review: In a cross between a John Le Carre Novel, the US/Japanese citizens experience of WWII and the WTC bombing, THE SEIGE was entertaining from start to finish. Well directed and well acted, it played upon America's nationalistic pride, its ignorance of Isalm and our distrust of anyone or anything we don't understand. Bruce Willis plays a convincing General Devereaux, which surprised me because I usually only like Willis when he is the lone ranger type. Denzel Washington's "Hubbard" is a great foil and he puts in his usual stellar performance. Tony Shalhoub's portrayal as Hubbard's partner really made the movie. The lines between what we understand and what we fear stand out. I only wish he would have had even more screen time. The religious ceremony really cemented his character's values. Annette Benning had the most difficult role, but pulled it off convincingly as a CIA spook who's become so good at dis-information and twisted truths that she even surprises herself. The intimate scenes were tastefully hidden but still got the point across. The action scenes were certainly convincing. Even if you saw the trailer, you still didn't see the movie. Just my two cents.

Rating:
Summary: Infectiously disturbing and controversial.
Review: First let's admit it that we, Americans, are stereotypical. It's true since we come from different cultural backgrounds, we label cultures this & that, etc. Although disturbing to many mature audiences, The Siege has its good & bad credentials. At first glance, it is bad in the sense the movie portrays deviancy, terrorism and violence which was stereotyped to the Arab World. In the course of the movie, the story tries to tie the knot between religion and this misconception that nurtures the viewer's minds that people, regardless of race & ethnicity, are basically the same. Although strange and mysterious as it seems to be, the Islamic religion should be respected as shown by actress, Annette Benning who delivered herself with total reverence and respect to the culture through acquaintances from her Arab boyfriend, who turns out to be the terrorist at the end. But what astonishes me is that the movie is NOT ONE-SIDED AT ALL. Since America will not tolerate terrorism and that America will sacrifice to protect the citizens against terrorism at all costs, the focus in this movie shifts to the abuse of power of its leaders. This is where Bruce Willis, the commanding military general comes in and tortured and executed an innocent Arab. Riots flared up and he was then arrested by FBI civilians, headed by Denzel Washington. I only wish that the Denzel's partner, the Arab FBI agent played by Tony Shaloub read the general's rights and I think that evens out the controversy. One more comment. Bruce Willis to me is the only character who sparked some humor in this movie. Imagine him in full dressed fatigue uniform. Willis, with his heartthrob good looks, can play other roles but not this one. I think Donald Sutherland or Jack Nicholson can do the act better. 4 stars for The Siege

Rating:
Summary: I disagree...
Review: While the film may not be completely without fault, I found that so many aspects of the story were designed to portray the other side of Islam--the peaceful one. For example, Denzel Washington's partner, an Arab-American, is shown participating in a religious ceremony with his son. He is proud of his son, and his joy is perfectly portrayed by Tony Shaloub. Furthermore, the Annette Bening character shows a lot of sympathy and respect for Islam, culminating in her frenzied and powerful utterance of an Islamic prayer at the climax of the film. And how can Mr. English deny that the real focus of the story is NOT about catching the terrorists, but rather revolves around Denzel's quest to stop the atrocities being commited by General Devereaux (Bruce Willis) upon law-abiding Islamic/Arab Americans? A second/closer viewing of the film will reveal that the message is actually quite enlightened and/or progressive.

Rating:
Summary: Troubling
Review: First, credit where due: THE SIEGE is an effective thriller, well acted and directed. Denzel Washington is one of the best actors around and doesn't disappoint here. Now, my problem: This is also one of the most blatantly irresponsible films I have seen in quite some time. I don't have a problem with the fact that the villains in the film are Arab terrorists (hey, fair's fair -- if you do evil in the real world it is inevitable, and fitting, that you will be represented as evil in the media). The terrorists' ethnicity is not the issue here. The trouble is that the filmmakers seem to have the idea that the Muslim religion is inextricably linked with terrorism. The film makes this viewpoint chillingly clear in the means by which the terrorists are finally caught -- the protagonist finally figures out who the terrorist is when they are observed performing a certain sacred Muslim ritual (a ritual performed daily by millions upon millions of non-terrorist Muslims every day). This is offensive not because these rituals (which hold great meaning and importance for Muslims) are used as set-pieces in a Hollywood thriller but because they are used in such a thoughtless and vulgar way. The message is inescapably clear: To be a Muslim is to be a killer. Yes, the filmmakers make a few post-hoc gestures toward equality and tolerance but they sabotage all of them with such careless ignorance of their subject. The filmmakers' knowledge of the Muslim religion is so rudimentary and superficial that their treatment of it would be laughable if they did not insist on perpetuating such dangerous and sickening stereotypes. Hollywood is often thoughtless and superficial but this sort of all-encompassing slander is, to put it mildly, unconscionable. I give the film 3 stars in recognition of the skill that went into it's creation and it's undeniable effectiveness as an action movie. But if we are rating based on moral and ethical judgment of the issues the film chooses to raise I give it less than nothing.

Rating:
Summary: The Siege: When Will We Ever Learn? Twin Towers of Death
Review: After Tuesday, September 11, and what happened at the World Trade Centers, now the reviewers who panned this as a "fantasy" may have second thoughts. Whoever wrote this brilliant movie mirrored our current crisis so closely that is is horrifyingly scary and on target. They talk of knocking out "cells" and how terror operates in our country's borders. Annette Benning is brilliant as the CIA agent with ambivalent sympathies. Denzel Washington, working with Director of "Glory," Edward Zwick,with Washingtom winning a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for that great Civil War drama, gives a powerful performance. But the details-my God if any movie was prophetic it is "The Siege." Now that we are seemingly headed full tilt into a full-scale war, have we learned anything? This movie was made in 1998 and last Tuesday, September 11, 2001, mirrors the sagas and themes so closely that it is uncanny. Rent this movie if you have only one movie to rent, rethink what you have learned about terrorists and controlling them. In the day and age of worthless movies of little content, this movie stands tall in every department. What is so sad is that many watched it and thought it was a "fantasy." The World Trade Center no longer exists. Thousands of people are missing and the ruins are still smoking as I write these words in tears and sorrow. We have met the enemy and he is us. See this movie, show it to your kids, for it is a powerful object lesson of the horrible turns history can take.It is no fantasy, my fellow Americans.May God bless us all.